New Mexico's new Secretary of Education is talking about how statewide budget cuts will affect school districts.

With the state facing a more than $200 million budget deficit, both the Legislative Finance Committee's budget proposal, and Gov. Susana Martinez's, include millions of dollars in cuts to schools across the state.

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Sec. of Education Hanna Skandera said she wants to work with school districts to make sure students aren't impacted by budget cuts.

She said in order to balance the budget, she wants schools to get rid of costly programs that aren't successful.

"Shift monies so that we are really investing in those things that create a return on our investment in the classroom and ultimately we realize we've got a lot to improve upon," Skandera said.

Skandera has only been on the job a few weeks, yet said she knows she has a tough road ahead.

"Gov. Martinez made a commitment not to cut dollars to children in the classroom," Skandera said. "She kept that commitment."

The governor has proposed cutting $30 million from education statewide.

While the Legislative Finance Committee has proposed cutting nearly $80 million from the state's education budget.

Skandera said Martinez is trying to help schools by replacing federal stimulus dollars that were in the budget last year.

"When it comes to cuts, I know that one of the concerns initially that APS has was around the federal dollars," Skandera said. "Gov. Martinez is backfilling those dollars, those are federal dollars to the tune of $88 million."

Last year, then Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia allowed school districts to add more students to each classroom to balance budgets.

Action 7 News asked Skandera if she would be open to letting school districts increase classroom sizes.

"what I would say is this," Skandera answered. "I'd like to start the dialogue with superintendents and school boards and principals and teachers, let's talk about our return on investment."

In Martinez's budget, she is demanding that school districts make the cuts without touching the classroom. Skandera said she's going to hold districts to that demand.

Skandera said the public education department will also be trimming its budget by 20 percent, or $3 million.